In early 2001, out of nowhere, a little band with a whole lot of attitude started playing T.T.’s every couple of months. With each gig word of mouth spread until it seemed a forgone conclusion that they were either too good to be true or the next rock-and-roll saviors from the returning plague of kiddie-corn pop. So when word filtered out that the Strokes were coming up from Brooklyn for a show at a little art space in Davis Square, well, you just had to be there. The keg beer was in paper cups, the PA was less than excellent, and there was no stage. People were literally standing on top of the band. And, for all the technical snafus, the band sounded great: nasty, hard, melodic, and full of NYC attitude filtered down from Richard Hell, Lou Reed, and David Johanson, as two guitars did short garage-rock interpretations of the long dances Television used to indulge in. It seemed as if everything good about NYC rock and roll had been distilled into these three-minute gems. If this were the new future of rock and roll, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing at all.

Who you callin’ a punk? Jamaica Plain–based freelancer and Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation staffer Steven Lee Beeber was waiting for a plane at the airport a number of years ago when his girlfriend let out a gasp.

Excerpt: Patti Smith's Just Kids The stars were lining up to enter the Ziegfeld Theatre for the glittering premiere of the film Ladies & Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones. I was excited to be there.

Different Strokes? I feel bad for Julian Casablancas, as strange as that may sound. Slideshow: The Strokes at Bank of America Pavillion Slideshow: The Mess Hall and Wolfmother at Bank of America Pavillion

Life got you down? A few days ago, my computer went to shit on me, something I never thought would happen.

Swede heart Few contemporary singers achieve as perfect a confluence of sound and image as Sarah Assbring. It's deeply reassuring to hear mournful, stylized '60s pop coming out of a melancholic beanpole who resembles a recently bereaved Edie Sedgwick.

Prep rally Much of the early backlash that followed the Strokes' meteoric rise had to do with the idea that a '00s punk revival couldn't be spearheaded by a band of moneyed prep-school twerps — as if boarding school and rock stars didn't go together like marmalade and scones.

MICHAUD FOR GOVERNOR | November 03, 2014 However you’ve been following the race for Governor this election season, you’ve been hearing it from all sides, so we’ll make this one brief. We urge you to vote for Michael Michaud.

ADVANCED BEAUTY LESSONS | November 03, 2014 Described as a “body-positive visibility project,” Portland’s Jack Tar 207 is all about representation. Models are encouraged to bring their own clothing and personal belongings to the shoot, which owner-designer LK Weiss says brings out “a level of confidence that many people don’t feel in front of a camera.”

LITERALLY LGBT | October 31, 2014 A community-compiled list of important GBLTQ works through the years.

BACK TO REALITY | September 18, 2014 If you’re a student in southern Maine and are at all interested in arts and humanities, and have a budget of exactly $10 to spend on any one event, there’s a lot in your favor.